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- Welcome Günther Irmscher tells us about the milestones in his company’s history on the 50th anniversary of Irmscher Automobile.
50 years of Irmscher
Günther Irmscher was a successful rally racer, whom different car manufacturers consulted for his expertise as early on as his motorsports career. That is why he felt the urge to stay true to his passion after retiring as a racer, and started his own business as a vehicle tuner. The 31-year old founded Irmscher Automobilbau at the heart of Winnenden in 1968. After just ten years, the original company headquarters became too small. Irmscher moved to the site of the old Heinkel plant in Remshalden. Today, the company is made up of 150 employees, has modification workshops in Portugal and Spain, and produces limited-edition modified and inhouse-developed series of between 50 and 2,000 models. It has long ceased to merely represent expressive sportiness. “Our signature style is individuality,” explains Günther Irmscher Jr. “This can take the form of sporty models, but also functional or cool and stylish cars” – just like the Vivaro Liner 500, produced as a special edition for the company’s 50th anniversary.
It’s a mild, sunny winter morning in Remshalden, about 20 kilometers to the northeast of Stuttgart in southwest Germany. 46-year-old Günther Irmscher, who has been the CEO of Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG for 19 years, sits at his desk. Memories from times gone by hang on his wall. While he may seem relaxed today, the last few months have been very eventful. His company turned 50 in 2018, which meant 12 jam-packed months of celebrations. For example, Opel’s number one partner in all things related to vehicle tuning presented a major anniversary exhibition at the Retro Classics trade fair in Stuttgart. Irmscher also celebrated its anniversary at the Essen Motor Show and specialist car dealer events. All of this had to be arranged on top of normal business operations.
A great outlook Irmscher has an impressive view of the company premises from his desk, not to mention the foothills of the Swabian Jura mountains.
The year of the 50th anniversary also coincided with the production of the five-hundred-thousandth vehicle modified by the company. This vehicle represents a shift away from the tuning trend of ‘lower, wider, faster,’ towards a greater focus on individuality. The Vivaro Liner 68 interprets the advantages offered by the spacious Opel in terms of style and multifunctionality. 68 models were produced as a reference to the founding year of the company. However, Irmscher reports that the half-a-million figure only played a minor role in this project. “We have a long tradition of treating ourselves and our customers to a very special model with a zero at the end for every anniversary.” For example, this was the ‘i40’ in 2008 for the 40th anniversary – a GT with Irmscher DNA and an outstanding 480 HP in an incredibly light V8 engine. AutoBild magazine wrote that the model represented “Sheer delight in power.”
The cornerstone Jochen Berger and Walter Röhrl in the Commodore GS/E at the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally – this day marks Irmscher’s entry into rally racing.
Pop the hood While Günther Irmscher never became a star racer like his father, a passion for motorsports is in his blood.
A piece of racing history The competition number 22 on the Commodore, which Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger drove in the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally.
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Modified and inhouse-developed limited-edition series
of between 50 and 2,000 units
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It has always been Opel models that have set milestones in the company’s history. It all began with a Kadett – in 1968, Günther Irmscher Sr. paid for the double garage that would later become the cradle of his company with the proceeds from selling the last rally car he drove in his successful career as a racer. It was located at the heart of Winnenden, a small town with 30,000 inhabitants to the northeast of Stuttgart. Irmscher began with two employees, just as Adam Opel once did. 150 employees now make up Irmscher Automobilbau GmbH & Co. KG. The company also has modification workshops in Portugal and Spain, and produces modified and inhouse-developed limited-edition series of between 50 and 2,000 units.
An Opel Kadett also provided the impetus for the move to neighboring Remshalden in 1977. Günther Irmscher wanted to initially produce his interpretation in a limited-edition series of 500 units. He found the suitable space to do so on the premises of the former aircraft manufacturer Heinkel. A photo of the company founder, in which he poses between two powerful low-loaders filled with the expressively painted Kadett C City, now embellishes the hall of the administrative wing.
Irmscher milestones
From the Kadett C City, to the GT i40, and many more: Günther Irmscher tells us about the models that are closest to his heart. Click through the gallery:
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- Commodore GS/E Coupé, 1973 „Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger may have switched over to an Ascona A soon after their maiden voyage, but nothing can replace this Commodore in my heart – or in the company’s history. For one thing, it is almost the same age as I am. Plus, it also marks our entry into rally racing. Röhrl and Berger drove it in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1973. Them being able to navigate a car this size through those narrow lanes was just phenomenal.“
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- Kadett C City, 1977 “It was this Kadett that pushed us to move from Winnenden town center to Remshalden. We wanted to produce 500 models. It was the first time that we had ever taken on the production of this number of models, and we needed more space to do so. Back then, the cars were delivered during the night, and my father, who you can see in this picture, drove them off the truck with me as his co-driver. I had just turned five back then, but I can remember it as if it were yesterday. This Kadett C City was a well-made car – even its expressive paintwork was sensational.”
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- Irmscher i2800, 1978 “Who would think it were possible to construct a six-cylinder engine with 2.8 liters of displacement that fits perfectly under the hood of a Commodore, as well as a Manta B? My father somehow managed to achieve all this together with his team. This sports coupé really took off. Overall, this model made it necessary to develop our own inhouse models, which meant that we decided not to label it as an Opel or Manta, but to become Germany’s thirteenth car manufacturer instead. The ‘i2800,’ which we also produced as a limited-edition series, was our first car with the Irmscher logo on the grille. We treated ourselves to this gift on the tenth anniversary of our company.”
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- Omega Evo 500, 1991 “Volker Strycek, now head of the Opel Performance Center, and Franz Engstler started the German Touring Car Championship in 1991 in this ‘evolution model.’ I still remember how I went to one of the first races on the AVUS in Berlin after the Wall had fallen. I had just gotten my driving license and my first car, a Kadett C. But I drove to the race in an Omega. We had this model reconstructed for our anniversary by the same employees who had been responsible for designing it back then.”
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- Irmscher Senator B 4.0i, 1993 “This Senator was my father’s last company car. He drove about 300,000 kilometers in it between 1993 and his death in 1996. When we launched the model in 1992, his 272 HP engine had the highest torque in the world. Even though there are not many of them left in the world, I would never, ever trade this model.”
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- Omega B mit V8-Motor, 1999 “From 2001 onwards, the former Formula One racer and motorsports champion Johnny Cecotto drove this Omega from the then recently established V8 Star series. As you can see, we have since changed the color scheme of our rally models. Yellow paintwork and green engines were our trademark for many years, but we now present our models in stylish gray and red. Changing times also mean changing tastes. Our green and yellow models are now marketed as a ‘retro’ design… I myself associate my final entry into the company with this Omega. After finishing my degree, I was able to dedicate myself full-time to my father’s life’s work in 1999.”
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- Irmscher GT i40, 2008 “Irmscher treats itself and its customers to something very special for every tenth anniversary. We presented this model on the occasion of our 40th anniversary. We consider it a GT with Irmscher DNA that happens to be an inhouse reinterpretation, which is why it bears the Irmscher logo. It’s an open two-seater with a 480 HP, yet incredibly light V8 engine. AutoBild magazine wrote that the car represented “Sheer delight in power.”
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I test drive each and every one of our models
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An Opel also paved the way for Günther Jr.’s entry into his father’s company. His first car was a Kadett C back in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell. While Günther Irmscher never became a star racer like his father, he has always maintained an avid interest in the company’s involvement in motorsports: “Which of course also means that I test drive each and every one of our models.”
In 1991 Volker Strycek, now head of the Opel Performance Center, and Franz Engstler started the German Touring Car Championship on the AVUS track in Berlin in a racer version of the Opel Omega Evo 500. The 20-year-old Günther Irmscher Jr. also drove this model for the occasion. One of these models can now be found in a garage in the workshop area. “We had the rally version reconstructed in 2018 by the same employees who were responsible for making the original.” What a way to celebrate an anniversary!
↑ Between Legends Irmscher with the versions of the Omega Evo 500 (right) and Omega B with a V8 engine.
→ A unique rim Irmscher unites car manufacturing with manual work. Models like these are made from paper and wood. The rim is an Irmscher ‘heli-star’ which imitates the design of a helicopter rotor. It looks particularly good on Opel X models.
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Günther Irmscher Sr.’s memory lives on throughout the company
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Günther Irmscher Jr. officially took on his father’s life’s work after he completed his degree in 1999. Günther Sr., who had founded the company aged 31, died in 1996 at just 59 years of age. His memory lives on throughout the company. Not only is his rally helmet from his motorsports career exhibited in the show room, but so is his last company car, an Irmscher Senator B 4.0i from 1993.
“My father drove about 300,000 kilometers in it between 1993 and 1996,” says Irmscher. “When we launched the model in 1992, his 272 HP engine had the highest torque in the world.” Hardly any exist today, which means that they could rack up a high collector’s price nowadays. The operative word being ‘could,’ “as we would never trade this car for anything in the world.”
February 2019